Balances for iPhone review: Keep track of all those IOU's you have with your friends

Balances is an iPhone app that helps you keep track of the various little debts and credits that you have with your friends. It features a delightfully simply design that makes is super easy and fast to add an entry with a note.

Balances is simply two lists: your current list to debts and credits and a completed list of the debts and credits that have been fulfilled. There are also two giant buttons at the bottom of the screen to add a new entry: the green plus sign is for a credit and the red minus sign is for a debt.

If a debt or credit as been fulfilled, you simply swipe it to the right to check it as completed. Swiping an entry to the left will delete it. But be careful, it's deleted for good, so don't do this by accident!

One thing I would love to see added to Balances is a way to view a total debit or credit with individuals. For example, if Rene borrows $5 from me for lunch, then $3 for coffee, but then buys me a $15 movie ticket, I want to be able to easily see that I ultimately owe Rene $7.

The good

Simple, clean design

Adding entries is fast and supports notes

Swipe entries to right to mark as completed, swipe to the left to delete

Swipe screen to the left to see completed credits and debits and easily move entries from completed list back to main list

The bad

Can't select currency, nor is there support for multiple currencies

Deleted entries are gone forever -- don't accidentally delete one!

Would love to see a total tally for each perosn

The bottom line

Balances is a fantastic app for keeping track of IOU's. Never again forget that Bill owes you for picking up his lunch or that you owe Sally for buying you that gourmet coffee drink. Balances will help you keep all the debts and credits in check.

Former app and photography editor at iMore, Leanna has since moved on to other endeavors. Mother, wife, mathamagician, even though she no longer writes for iMore you can still follow her on Twitter @llofte.

I don't know anyone who "loans" a friend money, in the sense that they expect to get it back and keep track of how much etc. In fact, I don't think I've ever met such a person in the last 40 years or so.

My mum always said that you should never loan anyone money if you can't afford to simply give it away to that person. You shouldn't loan money to strangers in the first place, and the stress of owing money to your friends will destroy your friendship.

This is because:

- there is no way to ask said friend for the money back without sounding (and essentially being, a big douche).
- if you never ask, you will harbour resentment

"Lending" money to a friend is a lose-lose situation. Always.
Just give it to them instead.